General Rules of Aquascaping?

[theotheragentm]

I'm able to grow plants pretty well, but are there any tips on how to aquascape? What I have is a bunch of plants that have grown in decently, but they all sit next to each other in a row. I have listed some of the plants I have below.

Wisteria (Big and bushy. Bright green)
Anubis Nana Petite (Small single plant)
Red Temple (Seven stems of it looking pretty healthy.)
Foxtail(?) It looks like Hornwort but brownish/red in color.
Ludwigia palustris. (Grows like a weed.)
Java Fern (Sitting on some rocks, undemanding)
Lobelia cardinalis small form
Pogostemon stellatus (Not looking so hot. Any tips?)
Micro Sword (Nothing impressive.)

My tank doesn't have driftwood. It has some smooth stones. I also have my 3 Moai decor that I would like to leave in there. I'm not going for a natural look. Pool filter sand.

Any tips?

[DrizzleWizzle]

When getting started in aquascaping, I found this article to be helpful: http://www.aquabotanic.com/aquascapingprincipals.html.

It's a little simplistic, but will help you get started with the basic principles. I noticed that the look of my tanks improved dramatically after i started following the "offset focal point" advice.

Another way to get ideas about aquascaping is by looking at other planted tanks. (It's a little like saying that you need to read a lot in order to become a great writer -- not everybody who reads will turn into an amazing writer, but every amazing writer does a lot of reading.)

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/: Mixed bag of tanks, many are quite nice.

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi: This page has links to six or seven years of aquascaping contests. Some of these tanks are mind blowing. They can be viewed by tank size, so you can get ideas of how to arrange well with limited space.

[JustOneMore20]

When I'm setting up a new planted tank or re-scaping one, I look at the Aquatic Gardeners link that Drizzle mentioned above. I like to get ideas from the current "trends" in aquascaping and shape my tank around those. I try to use some of the principles as well, but it doesn't always work out with the picture in my head.

Obviously, you want the tall plants in the back, medium-ish in the the middleground, and short ones in the front, but with stem plants you can always trim them for middle or even foreground placement, but that can be alot of work.

How much light do you have and what size tank? Also, do you inject co2 or dose ferts?

P. stellatus is a high light plant that thrives in co2 and ferts....well in most people's tanks. In mine it doesn't....and hasn't really looked good, ever. I think one problem is it gets shaded by my fast growing Bacopa. Another issue could be my forgetfulness on dosing....but who knows. If you don't have high light, co2, and ferts, its not really going to have a chance IMO.

Micro sword is also high light, needs nutrients, and co2 to thrive. Also, if the tank is tall, you probably need more light to penetrate to the bottom. A nutrient rich substrate would definitely help.

I'd get either some branchy driftwood or some larger rocks (if the tank is large-ish). Smaller rocks are going to get lost and it will be like you never had them.

I had a tank running with no hardscape for awhile (my 29g) and just recently added some branches....it looks so much better! I never realized how bad my tank looked without hardscape.

[theotheragentm]

I'm currently Flourish product dosing, using up stuff before I go CO2 and dry ferts.

I want to make my plants look more full. I think the Foxtail I can make bushier because it splits when it's cut. I can get it to split on a couple stems to make it look fuller.

I really like the way Red Temple looks by default.

I'll check out those links. Thanks.

[travis simonson]

A note on the P. stellatus: the fine-leaf variety has a high tendency to stunt if nutrient levels do not remain consistent. It does best with ~15 ppm NO3, ~1 ppm PO4, and good trace/FE levels. A nutrient-rich substrate will also do a lot to keep this plant looking good. Regular fertilization and good light are necessary to prevent this one of from stunting.

[theotheragentm]

That's probably where I am right now with stunting currently. My aquascaping is on hold for now anyway as I'm moving in about a month. It all has to be torn down anyway unfortunately.